The Labour MP for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton, Jim McMahon, has called for “calm” after local residents in the town began protesting against the deployment of new metal masts by IX Wireless, which is building a new fibre-fed UK fixed wireless broadband network – supported by ISP 6Gi (Opus Broadband).
The company, which has previously spoken of their aspiration to cover 250,000 UK premises with their new network (here), is currently building their hybrid fibre and wireless broadband network across several towns in the North West of England, such as Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Nelson, Accrington, Thornton-Cleveleys, Fleetwood and Blackpool. Last year also saw this expand into the Tameside and Oldham area (here).
NOTE: Oldham is already widely covered by gigabit-capable broadband networks from
Virgin Media (inc.
nexfibre) and Openreach, while
Netomnia also has significant coverage.
However, the large 15-metre-high metal poles (masts) that they build haven’t gone down particularly well with some of the town’s residents, which have recently caused several “disturbances” within the constituency (Oldham Times) that involved “concerned residents, workers and the police.”
Network operators typically like poles because they’re quick and cost-effective to build, can be deployed in areas where there may be no space or access to safely put new underground cables (this is largely irrelevant to a wireless network like IXW), are less disruptive (avoiding the noise, access restrictions and damage to pavements of street works) and can be built under PD rights (see below).
Infrastructure like this is typically built using Permitted Development (PD) rights, which means they don’t have to go through the usual planning process and can pop up quite quickly, often without residents getting much of a say (only minimal prior notice is required) – this adds to the frustrations of those who find them “ugly” and often go out to protest. In response, Jim McMahon MP has now called for calm via a post on his Facebook Page.
Jim McMahon’s (MP) Statement
Many residents have recently been in touch with my office regarding the continued rollout of telecommunications masts across Oldham.
We are seeing the rollout continue in a way that impacts residents and communities and there is little doubt the impact on residential properties as well as the increase in street clutter has been left unchecked by the previous government.
We have been working with residents for some time, but the pace of reform hasn’t kept up with the roll out. As we seek additional powers or directions it is little comfort if it comes too late for those being impacted right now.
For instance we raised this numerous times with the government, including hosting a Westminster Hall Debate, whereby the then Conservative DSIT minister agreed the current rules and code needed looking at. Unfortunately, it seems this work was not undertaken before the election was called.
I am pleased therefore that the Department of Science and Technology which met last week to look at changing the Code of Practice for Cabinet and Pole siting led by Minister Chris Bryant MP – I have asked for an update on this meeting and welcome as I have always stated changes to the code to force operators to share infrastructure, allowing a fair market without so many cluttering masts, poles and cabinets on our streets.
In the end the local council are obliged to comply with the law for poles installations, which were introduced by the previous government in 2019.
I have asked officials at the Council to consider all avenues to support residents and maintain and enforce all highways and health and safety regulations and laws. I am aware of several disturbances within the constituency with concerned residents, workers and the police and would ask for calm while the authorities do their due diligence, as has happened nearby. I know they are working hard to navigate this, and of course will need to comply with the current law in doing so.
We are always willing to help on localised issues in the meantime, for instance we held a public workshop, whereby residents from across Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton came to talk directly with operators and find a way forward on suggested mast locations, to varying degrees of success. This was the best approach in limited options and for some it made a difference.
The government are currently proposing to revise (inc. here) the Cabinet and Pole Siting Code of Practice, although this is a limited code and by itself will not be enough to “force operators to share infrastructure,” as the MP suggests above – that would require significant legislative changes, such as via the Electronic Communications Code (ECC), or the Access to Infrastructure (ATI) Regulations. But taking the latter approach could take 1-2 years and may cause signifcant damage to the national rollout of faster gigabit-capable broadband networks.
The previous government attempted to correct the ATI regulations, but smaller and more vulnerable alternative networks (altnets) said they were concerned about the risk of “unintended consequences” if changes to those rules ended up undermining their investment case for new networks (here). Such operators also expressed “limited interest in using non-Openreach or non-telecoms infrastructure” (i.e. it’s hard to beat Openreach’s regulated product).
However, infrastructure sharing doesn’t solve problems where there’s no accessible infrastructure to share in the first place, which is often why poles get deployed. In addition, IX Wireless are using a wireless approach and this is one that doesn’t really benefit from the kind of infrastructure sharing that the MP is talking about (i.e. existing wood poles aren’t tall enough for good signal propagation and might struggle to host the IXW kit). The IXW mast/poles are also much taller and thicker than the traditional c.9m high wood poles used for copper and fibre cables, but on the flip side they don’t need to deploy many of them to get good wireless coverage.
In other words, the expectation is that any revision of the cabinet and pole siting code is more likely to require greater community engagement (pre-deployment) and stronger notifications, but it remains to be seen how far it will go on the enforcement front (i.e. updating it probably won’t have much of a practical impact on existing roll-outs).
A spokesperson for IX Wireless said:
“We are one of several companies who has been looking to install street structures to improve broadband and communication services across the region.
We have worked with local authorities and have met with local representatives, including local MP’s, whenever concerns have been raised. We welcome further guidelines and will endeavour to work with local councils further.
The industry is heavily regulated and all structures go through stringent tests and conform to industry and government standards. Where possible the company has changed the location of poles or used underground ducts. We also actively engage with the local authorities who are notified of the work that is taking place.
Many people have welcomed investment in the roll-out of digital infrastructure, and IX Wireless believe the only way to level-up the region and move towards a digitally inclusive environment is to invest in a new innovative network which will give people the same opportunities as those across the country otherwise we are at risk of being left behind.
The company has a strong record of good customer relations and we will continue to assist local communities where we can. We also aim to help communities grow and thrive and donate 20% of our coverage to local charities, organisations, schools and families in need as FREE connections. Digital exclusion is a major issue across the North and the data is clear: access to better broadband options is directly linked to improved life outcomes.”
Naturally, we’d all prefer it if broadband, power and mobile infrastructure was totally invisible, but that’s not always economically feasible. The government have allowed the current level of flexibility in order to support their plans for achieving nationwide (c.99%) coverage of gigabit-capable broadband by the end of 2030.
Many people seem happy to accept poles if it means getting faster broadband (they’ve long been a common sight across much of the UK), but it’s definitely not a universal sentiment, particularly in areas that haven’t had them before or where gigabit-capable broadband networks already exist. The fact that IXW’s poles/masts are a fair bit bigger than normal ones certainly doesn’t help, especially if one arrives outside your house.
